Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY THE BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY– In 1988, an interview with journalist Frank Oliver appeared in the Boca Beacon. Oliver, then 86, and his wife Mary called a house on Park Avenue home from 1952 to 1992, when Frank died at 90. Oliver was born in England. When he decided to pursue journalism, his […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE- As work continues on the Gasparilla Inn Beach Club and surrounding property, it’s starting to become easier to see what the lay of the land will be. The beautiful new club and Gulf-side cottages are starting to come to life. Island residents and visitors have been curious as to what is going […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY OLIVIA CAMERON- Glass bottles are the least biodegradable item, taking what is predicted to be one million years to decompose. According to Tisha Bayne, the office coordinator for Keep Lee County Beautiful, “Research does say it takes glass a very, very long time to break down. It can take a glass bottle one million […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: At a press conference earlier this week, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium leadership provided exciting updates regarding the planned Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) at Nathan Benderson Park. Updates included sharing remastered renderings of the iconic facility, announcing a major milestone in the Oceans for All campaign in support of Mote […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
Eliot N. Vestner Jr. passed away on July 10, 2020 in Boca Grande, following a two-year battle with sarcoma. He is survived by his wife Louisa; two children, Alice-Lee Vestner and Charles F. Vestner; two step-sons, Donald F. Cutler IV and Q.A .Shaw Cutler; and five granddaughters. Just three months before passing, Eliot published “Ragtime […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
Former Boca Grande resident Bobby Sullivan, 83, died July 13, 2020 after fighting a courageous battle with cancer. At his request a service in his honor was held at the Tallahassee National Cemetery, 5015 Apalachee Pkwy, Tallahassee, Florida 32311 on Tuesday, July 21 at 11 a.m.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.
Behind the strong woman are three boys cheering her on… BY OLIVIA CAMERON-As a mother of three boys and a co-owner of an eye-catching new café, Kerri Jacobs barely has enough time to stop and smell the coffee. However, her integrity has taken her further than she envisioned. Kerri was born and raised right here […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY OLIVIA CAMERON AND MARCY SHORTUSE- Local real estate and rentals have flourished after getting back on the market in the past few months, despite previous travel restrictions and social distancing recommendations. Don Lutz of Boca Grande Real Estate compared their rental bookings this summer to those of mid-May to July in 2019, reporting a […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Education, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE- The long-awaited announcement that begins to outline how the 2020-21 Island School academic year will play out was made on Wednesday, July 15 by Head-of-School Jean Thompson, and it appears there will be more options than most parents thought. The long-awaited announcement that begins to outline how the 2020-21 Island School academic […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Entertainment.
BY OLIVIA CAMERON- When diving into the thoughts of local Spark Boca Grande founder and CEO Erica Ress Martin, there’s much planning to be done in spite of the all-encompassing pandemic. “I currently have a two-track system,” said Martin, referring to the two ways she would like to take the Island’s path of at-home entertainment. […]